DO you love band music? One of Australia’s greatest Prime Ministers, Ben Chifley, did. He came back from a trip to England determined that this popular form of music should take off in the national capital.

But he wasn’t the only fan, as the Canberra City Band’s distinguished 87-year history suggests.

Tonight’s  the night when our leading community band  will show off its talents in its 87th Anniversary Concert at Albert Hall, intended as a pleasurable evening for the whole family, it will also feature a bar service.

In line with the band’s aim of serving the Canberra community through “the pursuit of excellence in musical performance,” all three major ensembles will be performing.

These are  the flagship Canberra City Band, John Agnew Band (the development band named after the late John Agnew who directed the band’s junior division for 11 years) and the Spectrum Big Band, which  have all competed successfully outside Canberra in recent months, the latter having also recently returned from a sell-out performance at the Brisbane Jazz Club.

The organisation also includes a number of small ensembles, currently Sax and The City saxophone quartet, and The Hoffmann Winds wind ensemble, named after the long-time bnd master and distinguished music critic, the late W.L.Hoffmann.

The Canberra City Band,  87th Anniversary Concert, at Albert Hall, 7-9.30pm today, Wednesday November 21, tickets at the door ($25/$18/$60 families) or to tickets.canberracityband.com